Abstract
Depressive and anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent and disabling mental-health conditions worldwide, accounting for a substantial proportion of years lived with disability and imposing major social and economic costs. They affect individuals across the life course, with higher burden observed among women, adolescents, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Despite extensive evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments, large treatment gaps persist globally, particularly in low- and middle- income countries. This review synthesizes current evidence on the global burden and trends of depressive and anxiety disorders, examines their multifactorial risk factors—including biological vulnerability, adverse childhood experiences, social determinants, and acute environmental stressors—and evaluates evidence-based management approaches. Effective interventions span prevention and population-level strategies, integrated primary-care delivery models, task- sharing guided by the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme, psychological therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, pharmacotherapy with antidepressants, and stepped-care and collaborative models. However, barriers including workforce shortages, inadequate financing, stigma, and weak health systems continue to limit equitable scale-up. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the fragility of mental-health systems and the central role of social determinants in shaping population mental health. Reducing the global burden of depression and anxiety requires coordinated health-system reform, sustained investment, anti-stigma efforts, digital innovation with human support, and multisectoral policies addressing upstream social and economic determinants.
Keywords: Anxiety disorders, Depression, Global burden of disease, Mental health services, Task-sharing and mhGAP